February ARC Giveaway

This one is going to go quickly folks because I want to get them in the mail before week's end in hopes that the lucky reader who wins this bundle can read one or two of these before they release. Giveaway ends 2/2 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Just fill out this FORM to enter. GOOD LUCK!

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief she’ll never have to tell them that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief soon turns to heartbreak, as Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and not making waves, and Cam becomes an expert at this—especially at avoiding any questions about her sexuality.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. To Cam’s surprise, she and Coley become best friends—while Cam secretly dreams of something more. Just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, her secret is exposed. Ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is. 

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

*Descriptions from Goodreads.

January ARC and Cinder winners

I have two winners to announce, so, without further ado, the winner of ARCs of Everneath by Brodi Ashton, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, and Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James is...

Ariel W.

And the winner of Cinder by Marissa Meyer is...

Taryn B.

Congratulations to both of you! I'll put the January ARC pack in the mail ASAP, and I will forward information to Feiwel & Friends and Zeighost Media so they can send Cinder out. Thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned for more giveaways.

More Author Insight: From Thought to Page

How do you translate your ideas from raw thoughts and images into a story?

"For me, imagery usually evolves through revision. I generally translate my ideas into a comprehensible story by layering in details. I start with an idea, and write a very rough draft, sometimes jotted in a notebook, sometimes typed...but then I go back over it, and over it and over it, sometimes I print scenes out and write on them. Sometimes I word process the entire thing. But it's always a layering process, and often a cutting process as I work to find the right balance between my vision and getting readers to understand/see that vision." - Bethany Griffin, author of Masque of the Read Death.

"With great difficulty. I learned the hard way on my first book that structure is not my natural strength. Between my agent and my editor, I can’t count how often I heard some variation of 'this scene, while hilarious/fascinating/compelling, doesn’t move the story forward.' On my revisions and with my current work-in-progress, I made myself spend more time outlining the story arc." - Barry Wolverton, author of Neversink.

"I sit down, put my hands on the keyboard, and type. I don't know if this is true for other writers, but occasionally I just start thinking in narrative, describing things I see and hear and feel as they happen, as if I were a character in a story. That sounds pretty weird, but I figure it's like muscle memory: if you do something often enough, your body just knows how. Like dance, music, or riding a bike, with enough practice, it's something your body is accustomed to doing." - Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate.

"I sit down and write. If I don't get things down quickly, I risk losing them to the nasty elves of distraction and/or overthinking. I try to honor my inspiration and write off the top of my head, knowing that the time for editing and honing comes later." - Elizabeth Miles, author of Fury.

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